Are You Gonna Be There
by Scarlet has Fantasy Issues
Summary: She never expected anyone to be there for her... Toya/OC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:****This ****is ****my ****first ****attempt ****at ****a ****Ceres ****Celestial ****Legend**** one-shot.**** Seeing**** as ****I ****only ****own**** the**** first ****three ****books ****of**** the ****manga,****I ****think**** I ****did ****okay ****with**** this ****story.****It****'****s ****probably**** going ****to ****remain ****just ****a ****one-shot ****unless ****I**** get ****more ****motivation ****and ****ideas ****for ****a ****continuance.**

**I hope you like this one-shot between Toya and an OC…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Toya or the Ceres Celestial Legend concept. I do own the OCs in this one-shot, so I'll be very upset if someone steals them.**

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Emi came into the classroom, late for the third time that week. Her professor rolled his eyes and continued talking to the groups gathered around live models like he hadn't been bothered by her absence. She knew it was probably safe to say that he didn't care if anyone showed up to his class because he would just as soon pass them as he would fail them. It wasn't like he wanted to deal with young adults who didn't appreciate art as he did. Most students only took this class because it was supposed to be an easy class.

The young artist ran a hand through her strawberry blonde hair and quickly made her way over to her usual seat, pulling her pencil and a small canvas out of the bag slung over her shoulder as she went. It took her a moment to notice her living model for the night. Her purple eyes lifted and held her model's for a moment before she had to tear her gaze away.

_Why__ did __Professor __Akana __give __me __such __a__ beautiful__ model?_ Emi thought, setting her canvas on the easel placed in front of her seat. _Normally,__I__ have __to __over look __the__ flaws __of __the __people __he __sets __me __with__…__And__…_ She glanced over at the groups of other students, who were snickering as they drew their nude models. _At__ least __some __of __us __have __matured __past __the __point __of __embarrassment __over __nudity__…_

Her eyes saddened as she listened to the other students chatting away with one another. Emi turned her gaze back to her model, noting that he'd been stubborn enough to keep his pants on. It didn't matter to her what he wore because as much as Professor Akana tried to convince her to draw and paint nudes as part of her artistic growth, she always added extras to the model's appearance like cloth draped over certain areas. Emi tried to block out her fellow classmates' conversations, knowing she'd never be included in them.

"What's your name?" the model asked and Emi was taken aback by the kindness in his voice.

"Oh, I'm Emi," she replied, sketching out his basic outline. "Emi Fudo. And you are?"

"Toya…Just Toya…" The way he said it made Emi think he was sad about it, even if his face betrayed no emotion. "You're late."

"I know…I keep running into cars and…" She unconsciously rubbed her arm, finding her sleeve ripped. "The same group of thugs keep messing with me…Oh well, that's what I get for living in the city, I guess. There's nothing like getting mugged to give you the full city experience."

She fell silent after a moment as she started lightly drawing out the details of his face. He had an attractive face and Emi wished she could be like the pretty popular girls who went to the college. They'd probably have better luck catching the eye of Toya and keeping his heart focused on them.

"How old are you?" Toya asked, watching her with his irresistible eyes.

"Seventeen…Why do you ask?"  
"I'm just making conversation… I don't get much time to myself these days…"

"College ruining your party time?" Emi guessed, peering around her easel at him. He gave her a blank look. "You're not in college, are you?"

"No." He glanced over at the other students, his eyes roaming over them with little interest. "I'm a bodyguard…"

Emi looked at him, trying to see how someone as beautiful as him could be a bodyguard. _Then __again__…__beauty__ can __sometimes__ just __be __a __cover__…_she recalled, adjusting the position of his pupils on the canvas. _I__'__ve__ had__ too __many __boyfriends __to __be __so __naïve __about __that__…__At__ least __I __wasn__'__t __naïve __enough__ to __give __into __their __hormones__…__I__'__m __not __going __to __be __a __notch __in __someone__'__s__ belt.__I__ just __want__ to __find __someone __worth __giving__ into __and__ who __will l__ove __me__ as__ passionately __as __the__ men __in__ my __romance__ novels __love__ their __women. _Emi sighed and sat back, letting her hand fall slack. _At__ the __rate __I__'__m__ going,__I__'__ll __die __a__ virgin__…__a__ spinster__…__Why__ can__'__t __Prince __Charming__ come __my__ way __instead__ of __visiting__ the __neighbor__ for __once?_

"Is something wrong?" Toya asked, turning his gaze back onto her.

"No," Emi muttered, sketching a decent background behind him. "You don't mind if I put you on a boulder near the edge of a rocky cliff, do you?"

"You're the artist…"

"I like to give my models their choice of backgrounds." Emi pulled her hair back and twisted her pencil into it to hold it back. "But if you don't care, I'll put you where I want you."  
_**In**__** my **__**bed**__**…**_

Emi frowned as the voice echoed in her head with silent laughter. She hated to hear it, but knew it was a part of her. A small part, but still…

The two of them – the model and the artist – lapsed into silence that lasted until the end of the class.

Professor Akana looked over at Emi with a small smirk as he pulled on his coat. "Ms. Fudo, since you were late to class again, you have to clean up the classroom," he said, making some of the other students laugh and point as they gathered their things and left.

"Yes Professor," Emi meekly answered, bowing her head in shame.

She watched the others leave the class after the models, now fully clothed, laughing and talking like they didn't have a care in the world. It had always been her dream to find someone she could talk to as easily and as deep as some of the other students. No one gave her a chance because she was _weird_.

Emi waited until everyone was gone before walking over to the full length mirror in the corner of the classroom. She saw the scrapes on her arms and the holes in her jeans' knees. Her purple and black shirt was ripped in areas, especially on one sleeve. Her eyes watered when she thought of the men who had grabbed her and roughed her up every day she had to come to this late night class. It wasn't right how they roughed her up when they knew she had no money, but maybe it wasn't their goal to get the money out of her.

_They__'__re__ bullies,_ Emi told herself, turning her back on the mirror and grabbing a broom. _Nothing __new__…__just __rather __irritating__…_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Twenty minutes later, Emi walked down the street, her bag slung over her shoulder. Her eyes never really rose from the sidewalk as she walked; no matter how many times people had told her that it made her a prime target for criminals. She didn't really care at the moment. Not after so many times of being mugged.

Her eyes turned up when she felt a drop of water hit her. Another fat drop of water hit her and she sighed.

_That__ figures__…_Emi thought, glad that her bag was waterproof so that her canvas was safe. _Raining __on__ poor __little __Emi __Fudo__…__the __world __must __think __I__'__m__ a __joke __just__ like__ the __people __in__ it__…__Will __I__ ever __find__ someone __who__ doesn__'__t __think__ I__'__m __a __joke?_

"Hey Fudo, back so soon?" someone asked and Emi felt her heart chill. "We didn't expect you for another hour."

Emi didn't lift her eyes from the pavement. Cold rain slid down her back, causing an involuntary shiver to run down her spine. She was getting sick of this.

"What do you want from me this time?" she asked in a hollow voice. "I'm not in the mood to play around."

A couple of the boys around her chuckled and smirked at each other. Emi sighed, knowing this didn't bode well for her. The main leader walked over to her and tilted her face up roughly, a deadly smirk on his hard face. She watched him lick his lips and tried to turn her face away, but his hand held her face in a firm grip. She couldn't move at all.

"People say that you are still an innocent little girl," the leader said with a growl. "You're not a girl but not quite a woman yet. Is that what you want, Fudo? Do you want to become a woman?"

"Not by you," Emi whispered, her eyes looking dully into his burning green gaze.

The leader laughed. "No one else will touch you, Fudo. So why don't you do yourself a favor and act like a good girl…"  
Emi raised her knee as sharply as she could. The leader grunted and fell to his knees, holding his goods like they would fall off at any moment. His lackeys made to grab her, but she slipped past them and tore off wildly into the night, running as quickly as she could. She could hear the gang running after her and squeezed her eyes shut as she ran into the path of a speeding truck. All she saw was a white light and then nothing as she blacked out.

"Are you all right, Emi?" Toya's voice asked as she came to.

Emi slowly opened her eyes and saw Toya's emotionless face was looking down at her. It took her a moment to realize that he was holding her in his arms as he crouched there on the side of the street. She nodded slowly and disentangled herself from his arms, though she felt like it was a place she could have stayed forever.

"What – what happened?" Emi asked stupidly.

"I'll tell you some other time," Toya said, standing up as the gang started crossing the road. "Are these the people who were messing with you?"

"Yeah." Emi stepped back, her eyes wide as she saw the knives in the hands of the gang. "They're called the Flower Stealers; if you think hard enough you'll know why."

Toya didn't make a comment as he stood between her and the gang. The three men stopped an few yards away from him.

"Pretty Boy, move out of the way," the leader said, tossing his knife from hand to hand. "That girl is mine."

"She doesn't seem to agree with that statement…" Toya pointed out, completely unfazed by the knives. "I suggest you leave her alone."

The leader laughed and lunged forward with his lackeys, prepared to stab and cut Toya to bits. Emi squeaked in alarm and took another step back.

_**Don**__**'**__**t **__**run**__**…**__**I**__**'**__**m**__** not **__**a**__** coward.**_

Toya evaded the knives and issued forth his own attacks on the gang members. Emi tried to keep up with his movements but he moved so fast that she couldn't tell what he had done. Not even the gang knew what had hit them. Soon, they were little more than bleeding lumps on the ground, completely unconscious.

Emi looked at Toya in awe. Not a single hair was out of place. No speck of blood on his hands had come from him. He was completely unharmed, but was soaking wet. Emi glanced down at herself and saw to her alarm that her clothes were sticking against her like a second skin.

"Um…" she began, blushing. "Would you like to come to my house to get warm and dry? It's not much farther from here. No, it's only up those steps and into that little apartment. Please, it's the least I can do for you beating up these bums for me."

Toya looked at her oddly and nodded. "That would be nice."

Emi led Toya into her apartment, feeling awkward as she kicked her wet shoes off just inside the door. She didn't expect Toya to take off his shoes, but he stooped down and untied his shoes, placing them neatly next to hers. The artist was still a little red in the face, but she quickly hurried over to the thermostat and made sure it was on heat.

"You can…um…" Emi ran a hand through her wet hair as she set her bag down. "Your wet clothes, you can take them off. I…I think I have some of my brother's old clothes somewhere…They might fit you…Let me go check…" She pointed at a door as she walked down a hall. "That's the bathroom…um…it's the warmest place besides the kitchen and my be…So I'm just going to go look…be right back…"

Feeling like a total idiot, Emi hurried down the hall to her bedroom. She slid open her closet door and shuffled a few boxes around, looking for her brother's old things. When she found the box, it was covered by a thin layer of dust. It had been a while since she last looked through his things. Ever since the accident that left him in a coma, she'd been saving his things for him. This was technically his apartment, but she was paying the lease on it until he woke up.

_Hopefully __Brother __won__'__t __miss __a__ few__ clothes, _Emi thought, pulling out a shirt and a pair of jeans. _I__ don__'__t __even __think __he __wore __these __ever__…_

Emi straightened and shivered; her eyes suddenly full of a sad light. She missed her brother. Ever since their parents had died, he had taken care of her. Their other siblings were off in other parts of the world, doing their own thing, so they didn't care much when the accident happened. It had just been him and her for years.

_Asato…_

Strong arms wrapped around her and Emi was so surprised she dropped the clothes she had been holding. She could feel his chest rising and falling against her back, their breathing synchronizing. There was a warm feeling spreading through her as she was held in the stranger's arms.

"Toya?" she asked her voice quiet.

"You were shivering," Toya whispered, his breath tickling her neck. "You're cold…" His hands pressed flat against her stomach. "I'm not leaving you alone until you're warm."

Emi swallowed her fear of the unknown and slid her hands over his, her fingers sliding between his. Toya took one of her hands and lifted it to his lips. Emi's eyes were wide when he kissed her knuckles.

"Do you believe…in love at first sight?" Toya asked quietly, still holding her hand as he slid it down her chest to her stomach once more.

The artist gave a hesitant nod. "Do you?"

"Not until tonight," Toya admitted, his lips brushing against her neck.

Emi shivered again, but this time it was not from the cold. She melted against him as he kissed her neck, his tongue making the rain drops on her neck disappear. He turned her around and looked down at her, her clothes still sticking to her like a second skin.

"I – I hardly know you," she whispered.

"I don't know myself, but I know what feels right," Toya told her, cupping her neck from behind as he lowered his lips to hers. "And this feels right…"

Emi's eyes fluttered shut as he took the kiss deeper and deeper, until neither of them could breathe. She didn't want to resurface when he pulled back to let her breathe, her eyes peering up at him through her lashes.

"May I?" he asked, his hands sliding down her sides to the hem of her shirt.

The young artist nodded and Toya slowly lifted her shirt off of her body, tossing it aside with a wet sound as it hit the floor. Emi's hands automatically went to the hem of his black muscle shirt and she slid her hands underneath it, her nails grazing his flesh as she lifted the shirt off of him. Toya shivered under her hands as she let them explore the lines of his abdomen for a moment before she kissed him again.

Toya lowered her onto the bed and leaned over her so that most of his weight was on the bed instead of on her. Emi's heart raced as he looked down at her with those unfathomable eyes. She swore he could hear it. The shadow of a smile appeared on his lips as he kissed her again.

_It's finally happening…_

_**Congratulations…**_

Emi was too lost in the moment to care about the voice that sounded like a more mature her. Toya quickly rid the two of them of their pants, leaving them in their underclothes. His lips went down her neck to her shoulder where he slid down the strap of her bra. A single touch and the front hooks popped free, freeing her breasts from the cloth restraints. Emi shivered in excitement as the cold air hit her exposed areas. She gasped as he fondled her right breast with a hand while his other hand slid down her stomach to the waistband of her pretty underwear.

In a matter of seconds, her remaining clothing was removed – as were his – and only his body and a thin black sheet were covering her. Emi felt the tip of his manhood brush against her entrance and gasped as an explosion of light flashed before her eyes.

Toya looked down at her, his eyes shining with love and passion. "Is this…your first time?"

Emi nodded, hoping that it _didn__'__t_ and_ did_ mean something to him. She knew it was going to hurt, she'd known that all along. But she also knew that the pain would be overridden by the passion between the two of them. This would be her last step into womanhood and she was glad that it was coming from this stranger who felt so familiar…

"Do you trust me?"

Again, Emi nodded. "Yes…"  
Toya thrust into her slowly and Emi saw spots appear before her eyes, her breath hitching as the pain wracked through her. Toya kissed her collarbone and Emi focused on the feeling of him all over her, the feeling of him moving inside of her. Her hips arched into his, meeting him halfway as he established a quickening rhythm. Emi's breath was coming out in kittenish moans of pleasure and her nails were biting into the skin of his back as he kept moving her closer and closer to her climax. She was starting to feel like she was going to rip in two as he drove himself harder and deeper into her body.

She moaned his name against his shoulder as he kissed her neck. The artist felt a gentle bite on her neck and then he straightened, pulling her up as he went. The sheets stuck to their bodies as he thrust up into her. She cried out his name as her muscle walls were sent into spasms. Toya moaned against her neck as his climax hit him, rocking through the two of their bodies. The two lovers fell back onto the pillows, exhausted and let exhaustion take hold, their bodies pressed close…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Emi woke up, feeling sore and spent. She glanced around and saw that she was alone in her bedroom. All that remained of Toya was his shirt and the smell of him on her pillows. Emi sighed and climbed out of bed, pulling on a pair of pretty underwear and a pretty bra. She grabbed pulled her robe off a hook and fastened the one remaining button that was on the robe, right in the middle of her torso.

_What a night…_

_**It was heaven…**_

Emi didn't pay any attention to the voice as she heard something moving around in the kitchen. Thinking that it was an intruder, Emi grabbed her bat from beside the bed and started creeping down the hall. She peered around a corner and saw that Toya was moving around the kitchen, looking for something. A quiet sigh of relief escaped her lips and she entered the kitchen, the bat slung casually over her shoulder.

"What did you intend to do with that bat?" Toya asked, not turning in her direction as he cracked a few eggs into a pan.

"I…I don't know," Emi admitted with an embarrassed grin. "Maybe conk an intruder on the head…"  
"You should leave fighting to someone more experienced," Toya told her, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. "It seems you're much better at art."

Emi turned around and glanced into the living room which was covered in pieces of art that she had created. They ranged from abstract shapes and colors to realistic angels and people caught in an emotional moment of their life. She didn't think she was great at art, maybe a little mediocre, but not great.

"If you say so…" she whispered, setting her bat down. "Why…Why are you still here?"  
The hint of a smirk appeared on Toya's face. "Did you think that I would leave you after all that we did? After all that we shared?"

Emi shook her head. "I don't know what I was thinking…I am new at this sort of thing…"

"That's what I figured…" He put the cooked eggs on two plates and took a kettle off the stove. "I don't do so well when it comes to making breakfast, so if it hurts you…"

"What doesn't kill me only makes me stronger," Emi said, remembering something her brother once said.

A soft almost-smile graced his lips as he poured the steaming water into two cups with teabags already in them. "Who told you that?"

"My older brother…" She sat down on one of the kitchen chairs that Asato had created. Ready in an instant to get the topic off of her ill brother, she tapped her fingernails against the table. "You said you were a bodyguard…for a club or for a celebrity?"

"Neither…I can't tell you who I work for. It's…classified information."

Emi nodded as he set a plate and a cup in front of her. She'd expected that. She knew the bodyguard type and how they were all hush-hush about their employers. Hell, her other brother wouldn't tell her anything about his celeb employer.

"Are you going back to the art class tonight?" Toya asked after they had eaten a few mouthfuls of egg in silence.

"I have to…my grade depends on it." She glanced up at him. "Are you? I mean, I haven't finished your portrait yet…but if it was a one night artistic venture, I can always go from memory."

"I'll be there." Toya told her with the hint of a grin on his face.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

After eating what she assured Toya was a good breakfast, Emi pulled his unfinished portrait out of her bag and put it on her home easel, her fingers playing with the collar of her robe. Toya had gone off to take a shower in her bathroom, leaving her alone to her thoughts.

_**It's time for the big girls to come and play…**_

_Maybe…Maybe I can be a true adult now…I mean, I've been paying the bills and doing all the housework on top of school…Asato…I wish you were here to see what I've become…_

Emi jumped and fell when someone touched her shoulder. She had been so deep in thought that she hadn't heard Toya enter the room. Her robe left her undergarments exposed as she sat awkwardly on the floor, sheepishly looking up through her disheveled strawberry blonde hair at Toya.

"Uh…hi again…" she said, waving awkwardly. "Is the shower free? I think it is…So I'm going to go take a bath and…uh…bye…"

She scrambled to her feet and hurried down the hall to the bathroom. Her robe, seeming to be embarrassed by her awkwardness, fell from her shoulders and left her bra completely exposed as she put her towel on the towel ring.

_Dammit!__I__forgot__my__clothes!_Emi sighed and opened the door to the bathroom.

Toya stood there, a pair of black jeans and a graphic T-shirt in his hands. Emi stared at them for a moment before her face took on a shade of pink.

"You might need these," he said calmly as if he was in this situation all the time.

"Thanks." Emi took her clothes from him and popped up onto her tiptoes, kissing him on the cheek. "Have a nice day at work."

Toya nodded and walked away, slipping a choker with a weird symbol inscribed on it around his neck. Emi stared after him for a moment before sliding the door shut and setting her clothes aside.

_What a guy…_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

As Emi hurried around her apartment getting together necessary materials for her art class, she realized how empty it felt without another person in it. She dismissed the idea as simple longing for a man who had created a passion in her that she could never quell. It could be dealt with later, but if she didn't start heading out soon, she could kiss her high grade goodbye…

"Okay Mr. Portrait," she said, shoving some paintbrushes into her bag as she walked over to her easel. "It's time for me to paint your likeness and – oh my…"

Emi stared at the canvas for a moment, taken aback by the changes that someone had made to it. No longer was Toya sitting alone on the boulder. In his arms was Emi, who was staring up at the moon which he was pointing to. Emi was amazed at the skill that Toya seemed to have at art.

"Beautiful…just like him…" Emi smiled at the drawing and slipped it into her bag. "I'll have to thank him later…But right now, I have to go!"

She tore out of her apartment, only taking a break long enough to lock the door behind her. It took her only twenty minutes to run to the college and get into her classroom. And when she looked up, there he sat just like he'd never left…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**A/N:****So ****what ****do**** you ****think?****I**** know ****it ****kind ****of ****leaves**** some ****loose ****strings**** dangling**** which ****could**** mean ****more ****story ****later**** and ****the**** lemony**** scene ****wasn****'****t ****that ****good, ****but ****I ****did ****my ****best.****(You****'****re ****reading ****the ****story**** of ****a ****girl ****who ****has ****never ****had ****a**** boyfriend ****before!****:(****)**

**Please review me with ideas/ thoughts that have come to your mind as you read this. I'll even take the flames if that's all you have for me. DON'T NOT review this story. I don't care if you hate it or want to say something extremely random, please review! Thanks! ~ Scarlet **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So, this story was kinda well-received, but not many people reviewed it. Those that did review wanted me to continue on with the story, so that's what I'll do. Unfortunately, it won't be a very big story, maybe three or four chapters. I'm just having a hard time coming up with more ideas for this story. (My Toya Muse is being difficult.) I hope you stick around until the end.**

**Warning: This chapter is very short. Writer's Block is a bitch.**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

Emi yawned and stretched her arms as she waited in the elevator as people climbed out of it. She leaned heavily against the corner, feeling a little sad that she had to come to the hospital to see her brother. In her right hand was a small bouquet of flowers – daisies to be exact. They were her brother's favorite.

"Oh Asato," Emi whispered as the doors began to close, "why won't you wake up?"

It had been three years since Asato had been placed under the care of the hospital. Emi remembered the scene of the accident so clearly that it could have just happened a day ago. A speeding, careless driver slammed into Asato's smaller car, stopped for a moment to check whether or not Asato was breathing and kept on going. No one had been able to track down the vehicle that had caused the crash or its driver, but that wasn't important to Emi. She wanted her brother back, but he'd hit his head hard and the doctors weren't sure why he wasn't waking up.

"Hold the elevator please!" someone said and Emi quickly pushed the floor's button again, just so the door would open completely again. "Hello Emi."

Emi was startled for a moment to look up into the face of Toya. The doors closed behind him and she felt color rise up in her face. "Oh! Hi…Um…Why are you at the hospital?"

Toya looked at her with his expressionless face, something shifting in his eyes as he leaned against the back of the elevator. She noticed the choker around his throat, but couldn't make out the design on the crest. "My boss' kid is here," he replied.

"Oh." Emi looked at the buttons on the panel by the door. "Is he all right?"

Toya nodded. "He'll be fine…as long as he doesn't eat any of the hospital food." Emi could tell that he was trying to make her smile, but hospitals always dampened her mood. "Why are you here?"

The young artist looked down at her feet, idly playing with a daisy blossom. "I'm visiting my brother, Asato. He's been in a coma for three years now…ever since the accident."

"What kind of accident?"

"A car accident. Some crazy driver ran into Asato's car, ran through a red light and bam!" Her eyes grew wet with tears. "The doctors keep telling me that there's no reason to worry. That he's going to pull through and wake up, but it's been three years." She looked up at him. "I am losing hope that he will wake up…"

Emi expected him to feel awkward around her when she started crying. Her three ex-boyfriends had felt awkward and always tried to come up with an excuse to leave her alone when she cried – one going as far as dumping her. But even after a month of seeing Toya when she could, she didn't know much about him, so she was taken aback when he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

"He'll wake up," Toya said quietly. "Just give it time, Emi."

The artist looked up at him in awe, letting him wipe away her tears with his thumbs. She'd never been treated this way. Not since her brother had his accident. Emi let him pull away when the door to the elevator opened and she stepped out. With a quick "hello" to the nurse at the nurse's station, she walked down a hall with Toya following her. She paused outside the room and took a deep breath.

_This is always the hardest part_, Emi thought with a heavy heart. _Please let this be the day that he…_

Emi stepped into the room and into the sounds of the usual medical monitors. Asato was lying on a white hospital bed with the thin sheets pulled up to his arm pits. Emi let herself look him over, trying to tell herself that he was still her brother. His tall body had lost some of its weight over the years and his skin was very washed out in color. His pale, golden hair needed trimming, but that could wait until later. She just missed looking into his gray eyes that had been full of happiness the last time he had left her.

"Hi Asato," Emi said quietly, moving further into the room to stand by his bedside while Toya stayed closer to the door. "Um…I brought you some more daisies to replace the ones the nurses threw out…I'm sorry I haven't stopped by recently. School finals were terrible, but I passed them. I did my best to make you proud and now I'm a college junior…" She took a shaky breath, willing away the tears. "I haven't heard from the others, but I'm sure they still keep you in their prayers. Uncle is still helping with the rent and medical bills…"

Asato remained motionless. The machines beeped mournfully. Emi put the daisies down and took one his large hands in hers.

"Brother, please…no matter how nice it is where you are, please wake up," she pleaded.

Nothing happened.

"Emi…" Toya said, moving to stand by her.

The artist looked up at him and took another shaky breath. "Asato, I'm seeing someone new…He's already fought the bullies off and makes sure I'm taken care of. He's here with me today…Toya, meet my brother."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Toya looked down at the comatose brother of his girlfriend and slipped an arm around Emi's waist, offering strength through osmosis. "Hello Asato…"

The heart monitor started beeping faster as the heartbeat became erratic. Emi gasped when Asato's hand squeezed one of hers tightly. Toya recognized the signs and immediately pulled her away from her brother.

"He's waking up, Emi," Toya said, pushing her towards the door. "Get someone."

Emi nodded and ran out the door, down the hall towards the nurses' station. Toya turned his attention back to the man who was waking up from a three year coma. He felt like there was something familiar about the man. No, he_ knew_ it.

_Toya was speeding, faster and faster down the street. He had been called on duty for an emergency meeting. No details had been given. Just an order: "Get here as soon as possible." A small blue car was turning into his lane, it had the right of way, but Toya was going too fast to slow down…_

Asato's gray eyes snapped open and locked onto Toya's green ones, holding them in a deadly stare. "Y-" the man breathed, his voice thick with anger.

"Excuse me," a doctor said, pushing his way past Toya to get to his patient. "Please move back, sir."

Toya moved back away from Asato as nurses and interns filled the room. Asato's eyes closed again, but his respiration rate was still high. Toya felt Emi at his elbow and saw that she was smiling and crying at the same time.

"He woke up!" she said in an excited whisper. "He's awake!" She looked up at Toya with happiness in her wet eyes. "You must be a good luck charm…"

_Toya stepped out of his car to survey the damage. His car was barely blemished, but the other car looked like a crumpled ball of metal. He walked towards the tiny blue car and saw that the driver was unconscious, slumped against the wheel with blood trickling down the side of his face. Toya reached through the broken window and felt for a pulse. It was faint, but there was one. _

"_You're going to be fine," Toya said quietly to the man, pulling his cell phone out as he walked back towards his own car. "Hello Operator, there's been a car accident…"_

Toya remained silent, watching the doctors do their work on Asato. His cell phone vibrated against his hip. He glanced at the number and sighed. "I've got to go," he told Emi quietly.

"Oh, okay," Emi said, giving him a hug. "Thanks for coming here with me and waking my brother up."

Toya kissed her on the cheek and walked away, feeling Asato's heated stare on his back. He had a feeling that this was going to ruin everything.

_And just when I grasped what love was…_Toya thought, walking towards the elevators again.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**A/N: So what do you think? Please leave a little review in the box. Any comments would be nice, even flames. Thanks! ~ Scarlet**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Not much feedback was received on the last chapter update, but that's fine with me. I just want to get this story out there in cyberspace. So, enjoy it if you will, hate it if you don't.**

**Thanks to the people who reviewed the story previously. **

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

Emi opened the door to the apartment a few days later, before moving aside to let Asato in first. But always the chivalrous gentleman, Asato gestured for her to go in as part of his ladies first policy. With a soft smile, she walked inside and allowed him to close the door behind the two of them.

He looked stronger than he had when he had woken up from his coma a few days ago. The color of his skin had improved and he'd been eating ravenously, so the doctors were sure he'd get his weight back up to normal.

His gray eyes roamed the living room, taking in all the different pieces of artwork on the walls. "You're still painting angels, I see," he commented as Emi hung up her jacket.

Emi nodded and looked at him as if she was sure this was a dream. Asato smiled at his little sister and pulled her into his arms in a bone crushing hug. She laughed and hugged him back, though not as strongly, almost like she thought he was fragile.

"Well," he said, letting her go and turning his attention back to the paintings on the walls. "You are getting better, maybe that's because…" He cast a sidelong glance at her.

Emi gave him a knowing look. "Don't go there. You know I don't like it when you do that." She crossed her arms. "I'm not a…No; I'm not going to let you go there. You just came back to the realm of reality, so let's talk about something other than angels."

Asato sighed, knowing that, even after years apart, Emi wasn't willing to talk about her fascination with angels and why it was such a major part of her life. He walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. It was empty except for a jug of almost expired milk and a single large tub of yogurt.

"Ah, the college-goers' diet," he said, grabbing the jug of expired milk and emptying it in the sink. "Bad milk and cheap vanilla yogurt...yummy." He looked at her with a teasing smile on his face. "Tell me that's not all that you eat."

Emi blushed. "Well, I…I haven't been shopping this week. I was supposed to go shopping with Toya yesterday, but he was called into work and I…I had to be with you because you were awake after so long…"

Asato felt a flash of anger course through his body, but he didn't let it show on his face. Of course, he'd slipped up the other day when Toya was in the room with Emi. He was sure that Emi hadn't seen the angry looks he had shot in the direction of the man who had put him in a coma, not that Emi knew it was Toya who caused the accident, but he worried that she had felt the emotions rolling off of him in waves.

_Maybe she's lost that ability_, Asato thought, watching her for any sign that she knew what he was feeling. She didn't seem to have noticed.

There was a knock on the door and Emi jumped a foot in the air, startled for just a brief moment. She turned and hurried out of the small kitchen to answer the door. Asato took his time to leave the kitchen with the childish hope of making a dramatic entrance for whatever friend that had come over. There was only one problem with his plan.

Toya was standing in the doorway with bags of groceries tucked in his arms.

Green eyes met gray eyes and held the gaze for a moment, recognition sparking to life in Toya's eyes as it had back at the hospital. Toya was the first to look away. To look at a happy Emi.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Toya!" Emi exclaimed, leaping forward to take some of the bags off his hands. "What are you doing here? I thought your boss needed you…?"

The red-haired man shrugged and walked into the small apartment. "I was allowed some time to myself and I wanted to do something for you because I bailed on you…" His eyes softened as he looked at her. "Sorry about that."

Emi smiled at him with pure love in her eyes. Asato cleared his throat quietly but loud enough to break the spellbound look between the two lovebirds. His little sister jumped as if she just realized that Asato was there in the apartment with them.

"Oh! I forgot you two haven't been properly introduced." Emi looked embarrassed. "Toya this is my brother, Asato. Brother, this is Toya…my three-month-so-far boyfriend."

"Three months, four days," Toya corrected.

Emi's face flushed with heat. "I knew that. Excuse me," she said, taking the rest of the groceries from him and marching into the kitchen. "Asato! No embarrassing stories, please."

"I'll make no promises," Asato called after her.

_Of course not_, Emi thought with a small smile as she started putting the groceries in their proper places. _Every older brother's purpose is to embarrass their little sisters and chase away the "wrong" guy. They know instinctively the right buttons to push, which questions to ask to weed out the bad grapes and challenge the good ones to prove their valor. _She sighed. _If only Brother knew about the last two boyfriends…he would have killed them. Not that they wouldn't have deserved it after all the crap they pulled…._

Emi listened carefully for a moment, trying to hear what the men in her life were saying, but she didn't hear anything. She sighed as she remembered her brother's flash of anger she had felt earlier. It had come rolling off of him like a wave of lava out of a volcano, crashing into her. Emi had forced herself not to show him that she had felt it, knowing that he liked to think that he could shield his feelings from her.

_Why does he get angry around Toya? Does he hate him because Toya is not as expressive with his emotions? _Emi rolled her eyes. _That wouldn't make sense…Asato is just as non-expressive, but he smiles more… And they haven't even met each other except for that brief moment in the hospital and just now…Is there something that is sending off warning signals in Brother's head about Toya that I'm not aware of yet? Why…?_

The young artist sighed again. "Boys…"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Toya stood there in the living room with his girlfriend's older brother. He noted silently that Asato looked a lot stronger than he had when he'd been in the hospital. Asato was built like him, tall, long, and lean, but he was also angry. Toya had seen it fill Asato's eyes the instant Emi had left for the kitchen. He could only say three words to the man he'd nearly killed three years ago: "I am sorry."

"You should be," Asato said quietly as if he got quieter in his anger, "but that won't give me back the three years of life I've missed. Simply saying 'sorry' doesn't make anything better because it's just an overused word. Nothing more." His gray eyes narrowed slightly. "You almost killed me and I bet you got away with it, didn't you?"

Toya nodded and placed his hands in his pockets, remembering how his boss had smoothed over the incident so easily before anyone was aware of what had happened. "I know I can't give you back the three years of life you missed with Emi, but that doesn't mean I don't regret it."

"Don't pretend you cared about me in the back of your mind all this time because it's a complete lie." He turned his head slightly when a sound of something dropping came from the kitchen, but Emi didn't come out of it, still busy with groceries. "I bet you haven't even told Emi about your hand in my accident." He chuckled dryly. "What would she do if she found out she was in love with the man who recklessly plowed into her big brother's car? Of course, maybe you're not in this for the long run…Just a little fling until you get bored of having my sister in bed, then it's off for a newer, younger model. Am I correct?"

Toya sighed impatiently, though he understood why Asato was so bitter. "I haven't told her about the accident yet. And no, I'm not having a 'fling' with Emi. It wouldn't bother me if she completely stopped having sex with me…I'm not in this relationship with Emi for her body…I love her, even if you're too blind to see it."

"I'm not so blind that I don't know about that," Asato laughed wryly and pointed at the choker around Toya's neck. His expression turned dark. "I know about the fall of the Mikage clan and their quest to find all the girls with celestial maiden blood in their veins..." He took a step closer to Toya and pulled a pocket knife from his pocket, flipping it out. "I won't let you take her to them, Toya…I'll kill you before I let you take my sister!"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Emi swayed as she felt anger rolling like tidal waves from the living room, a headache forming from the intensity of it. "A-Asato?" she whispered, taking a hesitant step out of the kitchen. "Asato, what are you doing?"

Asato smiled pleasantly at her and slipped his pocket knife back into his pocket. "Just showing my favorite knife to my new friend here…" He glanced at Toya. "Unfortunately, he can't stay for much longer…Business, you know."

Emi frowned and looked at Toya, feeling like there was something wrong with the situation she had just walked into. Toya's face betrayed nothing – not one emotion or sign that something bad had happened.

"You have to leave?" she asked, her soft purple eyes studying his jade green ones.

Toya nodded. "There was a call from my boss…"

"But you just got here," Emi said before realizing that she was whining. She sighed and looked down. "I'll walk you to your car."

Toya turned and followed her towards the door without shaking hands with or saying a word to Asato. Emi could feel the anger dissipating on her brother's end, but she still had a headache from it. Toya followed her out of the apartment and across the street where his car was parked. Once there, Emi was unsure what she should do, what she should say first.

"My brother doesn't like you," she commented after a moment of silence. "Why?"

Toya sighed and leaned back against his car, looking down at the road. "Emi, what I am about to say will probably make you hate me, but it needs to be said." His green eyes lifted to hers once more. "I had a major role in your brother's accident…I'm the one that put him in the coma."

"I know…"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**A/N: Weird place to end the chapter, but it's got to end here if there is to be any anticipation for the next chapter. I hope someone reviews. Thanks. ~ Scarlet**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So it seems only one person likes this story enough to review, making me realize how shy people are…or are you simply lazy? I thank the kind person who did review my story and I hope someone else will review this too.**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

Toya looked at Emi in surprise. "You know?"

Emi nodded and looked away from him. "I knew when I saw the way that Asato was looking at you back at the hospital…Normally, he doesn't get so worked up by my guy friends, but when he reacted so strongly to you I knew something was up." She clicked her heels together as if she was nervous. "I heard the two of you _discuss _the accident…Toya, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

The bodyguard watched her carefully. "Would you have dated me if you knew I was the one who put your brother in a coma?"

"We'll never know," Emi whispered, turning her purple gaze back to him. She nudged him gently. "Toya…do you still work for the Mikage clan?"

"Just the son of the previous boss, Aki…He wants nothing to do with celestial maidens and their powers." Toya gently nudged her with his elbow. "Are you -?"

The young artist nodded and sighed. "Asato told me that my mother was one, but that she found her feathered robes when my father grew tired of her. She left me here to be raised by a human mother who…" She trailed off and frowned. "My human mother and father died eight years ago…They tried to sell me off to the Mikage clan, but my uncle and Asato kept me hidden away from that fate..."

Toya was startled to see her lips turn up at the corners. Even more so when she laughed at the world. She turned her back on the window where her brother could be seen watching them and brushed imaginary dust off of Toya's shoulder.

"Is this the end of us, Toya?" she asked, peering into his eyes. "You ride off into the sunset, harassed by my brother's words, while I stand in the middle of the road, watching you go and whispering 'come back' even though no one can hear me." She put her hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat quicken at her lightest touch. "Is that how this three month relationship ends?"

"Three months and four days…" Toya said quietly, wrapping an arm around her waist, his hand at the small of her back. "And it doesn't have to end that way…"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Asato watched his little sister stand by the car that had nearly ended his life three years ago. Of course, he realized that the car's paint had been changed from red to black. It made it less conspicuous, but Asato felt he would remember the car even if it had been modified or chopped up for parts. And it angered him that Emi didn't seem to recognize the threat that was wrapped up in a handsome package.

_Her boyfriend! _Asato thought darkly. _Why couldn't she recognize the Mikage symbol on his choker? Uncle and I have drilled it into her head to avoid that damned clan and all its associates. Yet, she fell in love with the bodyguard of one of the Mikage clan members…_His eyes narrowed in anger. _How could she be so stupid?_

He watched Emi lean in close to Toya and couldn't help but wish that she was giving the would-be murderer a kiss of Death. That, he felt, would be the proper ending to that farce of a relationship.

_I have to take her far, far away from here_, Asato thought. _The Mikage clan can't take her away. Her mother made me swear on my life to protect her…I can't let the Mikage asses do what they did to other girls with celestial maiden blood running through their veins…_

Asato's eyes narrowed into slits as he watched Toya put his hands intimately on his sister. She was seventeen dammit and Toya was…Well, Asato could tell that Toya was several years older, even if he had an ageless face. Asato was sorely tempted to throw open the window and jump from it, just so he could break the two lovers apart.

_Emi get back in here!_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Emi had listened to Toya's words and she could feel her brother's anger permeating onto the street. She found she could forgive Toya for nearly killing her brother because he had saved her life as penance. But she couldn't forgive her brother for his anger directing towards the man she loved without acknowledging the fact that Toya had taken care of her and saved her klutzy butt several times in the recent months. Emi allowed Toya to escort her around his car and he opened the passenger's side door like a perfect gentleman.

The daughter of a celestial maiden looked back up at the apartment window that her brother was standing in front of. Hard gray eyes met soft purple and Emi tried to convey the love she had for her brother through their unwavering stare. When he blinked and put his hand on the glass pane, Emi had already made her decision of what she was going to do.

Emi lifted her hand and waved. "Goodbye Asato," she whispered…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**A/N: This is the end of this story. I can write no more on it without it getting into Cheesy Mary-Sue Soap Opera Land. It's just that terrible. And no one but ONE FAITHFUL reviewer, reviews it. So, I give up on this story, no matter how short this chapter was.**

**Thanks for reading and I hope more than one person reviews. ~ Scarlet**


End file.
